STANDISH, Maine – Nichols College (1-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (0-1), 13-9, in what was the 2019 men's lacrosse season-opener for both programs at the SJC Athletics Complex on Friday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game stood at a 1-1 tie after St. Joe's freshman Devin Linscott (Nashua, N.H.) and Nichols sophomore Jeffrey Wenzel (Medway, Mass.) scored in the first three minutes, but the Bison broke the game open with an 8-1 run and held a 9-2 cushion heading into halftime.
The Monks outscored the Bison by a 7-4 margin in the second two quarters combined, but ultimately the uneven first half proved to be too much to overcome.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Bison capitalized on two of three man-up situations while the Monks converted on just three of eight man-up scenarios…Nichols held a 47-39 lead in ground balls and a 40-39 edge in shots…both teams won 13 face-offs.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Linscott scored three goals on four shots
- Sophomore Shane Puleo (Nashua, N.H.) netted a goal with two assists and five ground balls
- Sophomore Brendan Martin (Nashua, N.H.) added a goal and an assist with three ground balls
- Junior Shane Fors (Kalamazoo, Mich.) was 12-for-24 with seven ground balls
- Senior Raymond Emery (Abington, Mass.) picked up four ground balls with a pair of caused turnovers
LEADERS – NICHOLS:
- Sophomore Brendan Coates (Grafton, Mass.) scored four goals with an assist
- Wenzel netted four goals on eight shots
- Senior Casey Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass.) registered three goals and an assist with four ground balls
- Junior Hugh O'Donnell (Charlestown, Mass.) dealt a pair of assists with eight ground balls and four caused turnovers
- Senior Matt O'Connell (Woburn, Mass.) scooped up seven ground balls with seven caused turnovers
THE KEEPERS:
The Monks split time in net, as freshman Michael Janocha (Southampton, Mass.) started and made one save over 30 minutes and sophomore Logan Skinner (Irving, Texas) turned away six shots in the second half.
Nichols senior Brian McKinley (Nashua, N.H.) made nine saves in the victory.
NEXT!
Both teams are off until next Wednesday, when Saint Joseph's hosts Husson University at 6:00 PM and Nichols plays at Rivier University at 6:00 PM.